Rupert Murdoch in the context of "James Murdoch"

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⭐ Core Definition: Rupert Murdoch

Keith Rupert Murdoch (/ˈmɜːrdɒk/ MUR-dok; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian and American former business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including in the United Kingdom (The Sun and The Times), in Australia (The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, and The Australian), in the United States (The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post), book publisher HarperCollins, and the television broadcasting channels Sky News Australia and Fox News (through Fox Corporation). He was also the owner of Sky (until 2018), 21st Century Fox (until 2019), and the now-defunct News of the World. With a net worth of US$21.7 billion as of 2 March 2022, Murdoch is the 31st richest person in the United States and the 71st richest in the world according to Forbes magazine. Due to his extensive wealth and influence over media and politics, Murdoch has been described as an oligarch.

After his father Keith Murdoch died in 1952, Murdoch took over the running of The News, a small Adelaide newspaper owned by his father. In the 1950s and 1960s, Murdoch acquired a number of newspapers in Australia and New Zealand before expanding into the United Kingdom in 1969, taking over the News of the World, followed closely by The Sun. In 1974, Murdoch moved to New York City, to expand into the American market; however, he retained interests in Australia and the United Kingdom. In 1981, Murdoch bought The Times, his first British broadsheet, and, in 1985, became a naturalized American citizen, giving up his Australian citizenship, to satisfy the legal requirement for American television network ownership. In 1986, keen to adopt newer electronic publishing technologies, Murdoch consolidated his British printing operations in London, causing bitter industrial disputes. His holding company News Corporation acquired Twentieth Century Fox (1985), HarperCollins (1989), and The Wall Street Journal (2007). Murdoch formed the British broadcaster BSkyB in 1990 and, during the 1990s, expanded into Asian networks and South American television. By 2000, Murdoch's News Corporation owned more than 800 companies in more than 50 countries, with a net worth of more than $5 billion.

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In this Dossier

Rupert Murdoch in the context of Fox Corporation

Fox Corporation (commonly referred to as Fox Corp or simply Fox) is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan and incorporated in Reno, Nevada, with offices also in Burbank, California. Named after William Fox and incorporated in Delaware, it was formed as a spin-off of 21st Century Fox's television broadcasting, news, and sports assets on March 19, 2019. 21CF went defunct the next day. The company is controlled by Lachlan Murdoch through a family trust with 36% voting shares. Rupert Murdoch is chairman emeritus, while his son Lachlan Murdoch is chairman and CEO.

Fox Corp deals primarily in the television broadcast, news, and sports broadcasting industries. Its assets include Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports, Tubi, Fox One and others. Murdoch's newspaper interests and other media assets are held by News Corp, which is also under his control and was split from News Corporation in 2013, alongside 21CF. On September 21, 2023, Rupert Murdoch announced that he was retiring as the chairman of Fox Corp, effective November 2023.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of News Corp (2013–present)

The second and current incarnation of News Corporation, doing business as News Corp, is an American mass media and publishing company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company was formed on June 28, 2013, as a spin-off of the first News Corporation, whose legal successor was 21st Century Fox, which held its media and entertainment assets. Operating across digital real estate information, news media, book publishing, and cable television, News Corp's notable assets include: Dow Jones & Company, which is the publisher of The Wall Street Journal; News UK, publisher of The Sun and The Times; News Corp Australia; REA Group, operator of realestate.com.au and realtor.com; and book publisher HarperCollins.

News Corp and 21st Century Fox are two companies that succeeded the original News Corp., which included Fox Entertainment Group and other broadcasting and media properties. The spin-out was structured so that 21st Century Fox was the legal continuation of the original News Corporation, with the new News Corp being a new company formed by a stock split. Since March 2019, Fox Corporation, which holds 21st Century Fox's national broadcasting, news and sports assets, is also under the Murdoch family's control. In September 2023, Rupert Murdoch announced he would step down as News Corp's chairman by November.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of 21st Century Fox

Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor to News Corporation, while the second News Corporation was formed the same day as a spin-off. 21st Century Fox was the legal successor to News Corporation dealing primarily in the film and television industries. It was the United States' fourth-largest media conglomerate by revenue, up until its acquisition by the Walt Disney Company in 2019. The second News Corporation, which is doing business as News Corp, was spun off from the first News Corporation and holds Rupert Murdoch's print interests and other media assets in Australia (both owned by him and his family via a family trust with 39% interest in each). Murdoch was co-executive chairman, while his sons Lachlan Murdoch and James Murdoch were co-executive chairman and CEO, respectively.

21st Century Fox's assets included the Fox Entertainment Group—owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio (the company's partial namesake), the Fox television network, and a 73% stake in National Geographic Partners—the commercial media arm of the National Geographic Society, among other assets. It also had significant foreign operations, including the prominent Indian television channel operator Star India. The company ranked No. 109 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of Barry Diller

Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company with Rupert Murdoch and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1994.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of Fox News

The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City. Owned by the Fox News Media subsidiary of Fox Corporation, it is the most-watched cable news network in the United States, and as of 2023 it generates approximately 70% of its parent company's pre-tax profit. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. Fox News provides service to 86 countries and territories, with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during advertising breaks.

The channel was created by Australian-born American media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1996 to appeal to a conservative audience, hiring former Republican media consultant and CNBC executive Roger Ailes as its founding CEO. It launched on October 7, 1996, to 17-million cable subscribers. Fox News grew during the late 1990s and 2000s to become the dominant United States cable news subscription network. By September 2018, 87-million U.S. households (91% of television subscribers) could receive Fox News. In 2019, it was the top-rated cable network, averaging 2.5-million viewers in prime time. Murdoch, the executive chairman since 2016, said in 2023 that he would step down and hand responsibilities to his son, Lachlan. Suzanne Scott has been the CEO since 2018.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of Lachlan Murdoch

Lachlan Keith Murdoch (born 8 September 1971) is a British-born Australian and American businessman and mass media heir. He is the son of the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He is the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, chairman of News Corp, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation. In 2025, Murdoch's net wealth was estimated at A$3.21 billion, as published in the Financial Review Rich List.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of News Corporation

The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Founded on March 15, 1980 as News Corp Limited and formerly incorporated in Adelaide, South Australia, the company was re-incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law following a successful shareholder vote on November 12, 2004; it had since been headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City.

On June 28, 2012, after concerns from shareholders in response to its recent controversies and to "unlock even greater long-term shareholder value", Rupert Murdoch announced that News Corporation's assets would be restructured into two publicly traded companies, one oriented towards media, and the other towards publishing. The formal split was completed on June 28, 2013; the original News Corp. was renamed 21st Century Fox and consisted primarily of media outlets, while the second News Corporation was formed to take on the publishing and Australian broadcasting assets.

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Rupert Murdoch in the context of LulzSec

LulzSec (a contraction for Lulz Security) is a grey hat computer hacking group that claimed responsibility for several high profile attacks, including the compromise of user accounts from PlayStation Network in 2011. The group also claimed responsibility for taking the CIA website offline. Some security professionals have commented that LulzSec has drawn attention to insecure systems and the dangers of password reuse. It has gained attention due to its high profile targets and the sarcastic messages it has posted in the aftermath of its attacks. One of the founders of LulzSec was computer security specialist Hector Monsegur, who used the online moniker Sabu. He later helped law enforcement track down other members of the organization as part of a plea deal. At least four associates of LulzSec were arrested in March 2012 as part of this investigation. Prior, British authorities had announced the arrests of two teenagers they alleged were LulzSec members, going by the pseudonyms T-flow and Topiary.

At just after midnight (BST, UT+01) on 26 June 2011, LulzSec suddenly released a "50 days of lulz" statement, which they claimed to be their final release, confirming that LulzSec consisted of six members, and that their website was to be shut down. Their final release included accounts and passwords from many different sources. Despite claims of retirement, the group committed another hack against newspapers owned by News Corporation on 18 July, defacing them with false reports regarding the death of Rupert Murdoch. The group had also helped launch Operation AntiSec, a joint effort involving LulzSec, Anonymous, and other hackers.

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